The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-04-28
NATIONAL NEWS NOTES.
Prayers TO the Interstate Commission
-DRnenhOVEerss RemaAns-The HaYti
Business Exaggerated-OtherN News.
.rIIHr IArrrIcp 81, rcIc C,OnEAIISSINs.


WASHINGTON, d. c., April 2l.-
A telegram has been received by the
Interstate Commerce Commission in
behalf of the Board of Trade and mer-
chants of Chicago, asking hearing on
the trans-cOntinental question. They
favor a conditional suspension in the
long and short haul clause, and also
desire the protection of the interme-
date territory between the East and
the West.
A dispatch was received from the
Chamber of Commerce and some of the
leading merchants and manufacturers
protesting against the suspension of
the long and short haul clause.
Charles II. Tweed, of New York, ad-
dressed the Commission in behalf of
the prayer of the Southern Pacific Rail-
road for suspension of the fourth sec
ton of the law in its behalf. He
presented a formal petition, which
sets forth that the Southern Pacific
is in competition for the transportation
of the through passengers and freight
with the Canadian Pacific, and the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company,
clippers and tramp steamers, and that
the business is done under suDstanti-
ally dissimilar conditions from those
/ under which local transportation is
conducted. Under the new law through
business has decreased 80 per cent. II
| the short rate is made to conform to
| the rate at which through business can
be obtained, then the roads Will become
| bankrupt. They therefore pray for re-
| lief from the fourth section. If fur
Their investigation is deemed necessary
| the petitioners ask an order for the
temporary suspension of the act in re-
spect to this traffic.
| W. T. Britton. Attorney of the At
Gibson, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad,
read a petition setting forth that the
road and its connections were engaged
in trans-continental traffic. In an
honest endeavor to comply with the
law it had put into operation new
| schedules which, while they increased
| the through rates, largely reduced the
rates to intermediate points. The
| average reductions were from to sc
per cent, according to the class OF
freight carried. While this had not
resulted in increasing the way traffic
it had entirely destroyed the through
not received any through west bound
freight and only such east bound a
imperatively required immediate tran
sit. To illustrate, the company for
merry hauled an average of one hun
bred cars of oil. but now contracts wert
being made for this traffic by sea COW
ering the entire coming year. Th'
prayer OF the petition was similar Il
that of the Southern Pacific.
General VIM. Belknap, representing
the st. Louis & San Francisco Road
presented a petition setting forth thi
circumstances influencing that com
pany's through traffic, and asked tina
the fourth section of the act be sus
pended.
James F. Goddard, Assistant Gener
! al Manager of the AtchisoH. Topeka
i Santa Fe Railroad, was sworn. and Il
reply to inquiries by counsel, sub
Stimulated under oath the matters Sc
} forth in the petition mentioned above
He was informed that since new rate
: went into effect the steamships ha
: raised their rates, materially keepin
: Just enough below those Of the raj
: road to take the traffic. The compan
} asked to be placed in position whel
!. II could meet the competition Of th
2 clippers without further reference |
!. the commission. The company did NJ
wish, however. 70 dc business at = los